Jeffrey A. Palmer Memorial Grant: Play-Based Kindergarten: Block Design Teams
- School Year: 2024-2025
- Applicants: Angela Bottaro, Lead Applicant
- School: Smith
- Subjects: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Emotional Learning, STEAM, Other
This grant will provide all Kindergarten students at Smith Elementary School with high-quality wooden blocks, including blocks with unique 3-D shapes, to support their experiences with block design collaborative play teams. Kindergarten students will have the opportunity to use wooden blocks to engage in “block teams” in support of the recent Connecticut play-based learning statute. Block teams are a play-based learning structure in which small teams of 3-4 students select a local or international building of personal or architectural interest. Over the course of a week, the block team plans, designs and creates a block structure model. This use of these grant-funded materials and play-based learning structure will advance the students’ science/engineering, language and social-emotional learning.